The present invention relates to casino games and gaming formats and, more particularly, to betting options and modified versions of existing games where a result is determined according to numerical values.
Baccarat is played internationally with different rules and different names, such as Punto Banco and Chemin-de-Fer. In the U.S., Baccarat is typically played in a dedicated VIP high-stakes gaming area. In an effort to increase the popularity of the game, smaller versions of Baccarat such as Mini-Baccarat have been introduced in the regular gaming area.
There are several drawbacks associated with conventional Baccarat. In particular, in certain situations, the house takes a commission on wagers. Although the house needs an advantage, the use of commission can deter many players. Moreover, from a casino perspective, calculating commissions slows down the game. To correct this, the game may be operated where the commission is collected not after each hand, but at the end of each shoe (a shoe holds multiple decks of cards from which hands are dealt by the dealer), prior to reshuffling the decks. While this speeds up the game, collection of commission may be impacted by the player running out of funds or not wishing to meet the obligation.
Moreover, for novice players, the rules of play seem obscure, and the procedure is prone to error. In Baccarat, there is a player hand and a banker hand, but the casino player may bet either hand. Each hand receives two cards with 10's and face cards counting as zero. The superior hand is the higher hand, with 9 being the highest total and with each hand being allowed to draw a third card in certain circumstances. The card draw option to the player hand is determined by the player two-card total, and the card draw option to the banker hand is determined by the banker two-card total and the exact third card drawn by the player. With these rules, although the game is simple in its concepts, the game has a complicated appearance.
Still further, with conventional Baccarat, there is an inherent hand-value deterioration bias. That is, a two-card total of 5 improves with a 1, 2, 3 or 4 value card, but deteriorates with a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 value card, which creates the inherent bias.
Additionally, except for a tie offering payoff odds of 8 to 1, conventional Baccarat does not present any opportunity to win above even money. Notwithstanding, many players perceive the odds for a tie bet to be unfair. Also, as the tie is a push, there is no casino advantage working on the player and banker wagers when a tie occurs. If the tie outcome could be incorporated into the outcome of the basic wager, then either the house could enjoy an increased advantage, or a lower advantage on the primary wagers would be viable.
In one modified version of Baccarat, so called Bahama Baccarat or No Commission Baccarat, the commission aspect has been successfully removed. The house advantage is incorporated in a bar rule so a specific result is determined differently than with conventional Baccarat. In this context, however, the game retains a complicated draw process, does not offer higher payoffs, the tie is a non-result, and the bar rule gives an impression of a lack of balance.